Rebellion Era Jedi

Tips and Tactics

By Owen K.C. Stephens

The Star Wars Roleplaying Game is easy to learn, but it can be difficult to master. With that in mind, we
present "Tips and Tactics," a monthly column designed to help you get the most out of your Star
Wars roleplaying! Each month, Owen K.C. Stephens (author of Starships of the Galaxy and coauthor of
the Rebellion Era Sourcebook, Alien Anthology, Tempest Feud, the Power of the Jedi Sourcebook and
the Arms & Equipment Guide) will show you how to use various rules together, suggest new ways to
use old rules, and clarify complex rules.

I am a Jedi, Like My Father Before Me

Without a doubt, the most popular character idea for a Star Wars campaign is a Jedi. This is only reasonable -- Jedi are one of the
defining aspects of the Star Wars universe, one of the unique things that sets it apart from other science fantasy settings. However,
when used in a game set in the Rebellion era, Jedi characters become more difficult to justify. To represent this, characters are
restricted to Jedi guardians and first must start with a level in another class.

So, Jedi in Rebellion era games have one more decision than in other campaigns: what class to start with. This is a critical decision that
not only impacts the Jedi at low levels but also affects what direction he is likely to choose at later levels. In this article, we'll look at the
pros and cons of the various multiclass combinations for Rebellion era Jedi characters.

My Ally is the Force

The most common multiclass choice is soldier/Jedi guardian, a combination with obvious advantages. First, it gives the character the
same base attack bonus he'd have as a straight Jedi guardian, and it also gives him a secondary attack at 6th level (any other
combination has to wait until at least 7th level). The soldier also has the best vitality die, which is useful for powering Force abilities as a
Jedi. Add in the broad collection of starting soldier feats and the fact that a second level of soldier can taken at any time for a bonus
feat, and this combination becomes the best bet for combat-oriented Jedi.

Of course, not every Jedi is combat-oriented. While it's not possible to play a Jedi consular in the Rebellion era, that doesn't mean you
can't play a Jedi who focuses on solutions other than conflict. A noble/Jedi guardian has an excellent combination of class skills,
combat ability, and a high Reputation bonus. In fact, these classes mesh so well that a player may consider taking more than one level
of noble, perhaps splitting his levels evenly. Such a character is a much better fighter than a straight noble and can use Force skills to
augment his powers of persuasion.

An often overlooked combination is Force adept/Jedi guardian. This represents a character who started in some other Force tradition,
perhaps as a Kilian ranger or the Jensaarai, and then received training as a Jedi. This combination has numerous advantages. First, it
grants the character some Force abilities immediately, which helps offset the high cost of buying them later. Second, it gives the hero
the Force-Sensitive feat for free, which means he needn't select it as his sole Jedi guardian starting feat at 2nd level -- leaving him free
to take Exotic Weapon Proficiency (lightsaber). It also means that the hero's Force level is equal to his character level, allowing him to
take Burst of Speed at 3rd level (rather than having to wait, as other multiclass Jedi do).
Always In Motion Is the Future
Another consideration when choosing a multiclass combination is future character development. Jedi guardians have a very limited
selection of skills, and a character's best chance to expand that selection is to pick a beginning class that offers a broader range. While
it's true that cross-class skills cost double when a character buys them at a Jedi level, the total ranks the character can have remains
level+3, rather than half that. The scoundrel is a particularly good skill-expanding choice, as it has plenty of starting skill points and a
good selection of class skills. The fringer, noble, scout, and Force adept are also good choices, though they tend to be more
specialized.

Taking a number of skills that are cross-class for a Jedi guardian can help a character qualify for a prestige class. A player who wants
his hero to become a Jedi investigator eventually will have a much easier time if his first class is scoundrel, allowing him to buy ranks of
Gather Information and Search. A Force adept/Jedi is more likely to become a Jedi master early.

Finally, consider how your character complements other players' heroes. No matter how differently they develop at higher levels, a
group of four single-class Jedi guardians will seem one-dimensional. On the other hand, a group with a noble/Jedi guardian, a
scout/Jedi guardian, a soldier/Jedi guardian, and a tech specialist /Jedi guardian is much broader, and the characters are less likely to
overlap.